Lebanon

Mixed reactions among Israelis, Palestinians, to Sharon's death

Jan. 12 - As Israelis pay tribute to their former prime minister, Ariel Sharon, who died as age 85, Palestinians who considered him a war criminal celebrate. Mana Rabiee reports.

TRANSCRIPT +

"The Chaim Sheba Medical Center announces, in sorrow, that former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has passed away."
And with that, reaction poured in on Saturday to news that Ariel Sharon had died at age 85.
He had spent eight years in a coma after suffering a stroke in 2006.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remembered the late former statesman as a great warrior.
SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu SAYING:
"I believe he was one of the greatest military leaders we had in modern days. He took a central role in all battles for the security of Israel."
Israeli President Shimon Peres.
SOUNDBITE: Israeli President Shimon Peres SAYING:
"He was an outstanding man and an exceptional commander who moved his people and loved them, and the people loved him."
That love was expressed on the streets of Jerusalem as word of Sharon's passing spread.
SOUNDBITE: JERUSALEM RESIDENT SAYING:
"He spent his life defending Israel. He spent his life winning for us."
SOUNDBITE: (Hebrew) JERUSLALEM RESIDENT SAYING:
"He was an extraordinary gentleman. We loved him very much."
But there was no love lost for Sharon among these Palestinians.
They handed out sweets to mark his death.
In this Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, Sharon was considered a war criminal for military invasion and Jewish settlement on captured lands.
SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) REFUGEE CAMP RESIDENT SAYING:
"Eight years God was torturing him, that butcher. We couldn't defeat him, God did."
Friends and families gathered at Sharon's ranch in southern Israel following his death.
Israeli officials say he'll be given a state funeral attended by dignitaries.

SPONSOREDSTORIES

Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms.

*All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.